Love Endures

Oh bad, bad, very bad; little sleep is bad for you… and me too of course. That’s why y’all should be patient while reading this post. The 20 oz. coffee did not help and neither did that gigantic, sugary donut. Though, I cannot refute that the marvelous savor of the combination helped me sit through my first meeting. Oops, I’m blogging on serious topics here… alright, listen up everyone!

This is meant to be a small analysis of the image below. At first glance, I accepted it as just another image with no real point but to draw giggles and grins. And though it is very amusing, I would like to take from it a very important lesson.
 In life, we all meet people who differ from us so much that at first glance, we automatically reject putting their names into our white book of acquaintances. This unfortunately spreads not only to people who differ from us oh so drastically but also unto those with whom we might have the slightest of disagreements. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not condemning those who make wise choices as far as who to make friends with. Since the Bible clearly instructs us that the light has no relation with the darkness, so do I accept the fact that we must not tie ourselves to people who rebuke or blaspheme the word of God. But this does not indicate that we have no reason to spread the truth of God’s word even unto them.

My main focus, though, was intended to be on those around us in church, work, or even in our family. Analyzing the image above, I think that it draws a very critical double-edged sword. Most would show this image to the person who “criticizes” someone with a different opinion, intentionally hinting at the fact that they are not acting as they should. But I think it has a lesson to teach both parties. The turtle, for the sake of peace and love, altered itself to make the porcupine happy. It was willing to take that extra step. And the porcupine, accepts even the not-so-subtle of alterations which the turtle has made to itself. It’s a matter of compromise. Though not mentioned on the picture, the verse at the bottom caries a deep meaning; it actually goes as so: “[love] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” 1 Corinthians 13:7

May we all love one another with the love which bears, endures, believes, and hopes all things. Easy to say – hard to do. But with God, anything is possible!